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View Full Version : A new scam - Medicare Part D sign ups



sasvermont
07-25-2008, 05:12 PM
When I went to my Mom's pharmacy this afternoon, to pick up her six prescriptions, the pharmacy clerk told me that her usual approval did not happen and that her coverage had changed. No way. I called the provider and they said that someone signed her up for Medicare Part D. and that I would have to write or fax a letter to them and then call Medicare to let them know.

Here's the scam part. The provider said that for this past week they have had hundreds of calls from subscribers saying that someone had informed Medicare of the change. In my Mom's case, the assignment of Unicare. We never signed any documents etc. for this change. My guess is that someone in Unicare has decided to just sign up people and wait.

There was another younger woman at the pharmacy having the same problem with her Mom's prescriptions and was using a provider other than Medicare D. The pharmacy made no attempt in investigate the problem, not that they would be able to anyway.

So here is where it landed. Caremark will call my Mom's pharmacy and give them a one time lift of the denial and then will wait for my letter saying that my Mom never switched to Medicare Part D. Then I need to call Medicare (ever spend an afternoon waiting for someone to pick up the phone?) and waste hours.

If this is a big scam, I feel sorry for the older folks not having their kids to fight their battles for them. My Mom will never know this happened. She is dependant on her medications and would not survive without them.

Ugh.

My guess is that Unicare will be called on the carpet for this....RIGHT.....!

I am so piXXed off about this.

:mad:

RedHedd
07-25-2008, 05:59 PM
Unfortunately there are a lot of scams and scammers out right now. My bank account has been hit twice in two weeks. When the economy is bad, bad people do even worse things. I just makes me :mad:

Freedom
07-25-2008, 06:19 PM
That is a great "heads up!"

A similar thing happened with long distance telephone calls, companies would just switch you to their plan. Now, you can have your line coded so no one except you can change your long distance carrier.

I bet I'll be seeing this in the senior center newsletter soon, from Dad.

moosmom
07-26-2008, 08:36 AM
Sallyanne,

Thanks for the heads up. I do hope they will be called on the carpet for what they did. I can't imagine all the elderly people that are dependent on their benefits going into a panic because of this despicable scam.

lizbud
07-26-2008, 04:51 PM
Have you notified your state's Attorney Generals office? If this has
happened to others there, maybe they could do a "class action" filing.

Do you or another family member have power of attorney or does your
Mom still handle her own affairs? I don't envy you trying to get this all
straightened out. It sounds like a mess.:(

Donnaj4962
07-27-2008, 04:34 PM
As someone who works with seniors, I find it deplorable that someone would try to take such advantage of our elderly. What a terrible scam. And against something that they are so dependent on as well! :mad:

I agree with lizbud... call your state's attorney office and file a complaint!

If you have a local SHIIP (Senior Health Insurance Information Program) office, call them and ask if a counselor may be able to help you. If you cannot find their number, call your local Council on Aging and ask for it.

And a suggestion when calling medicare. When the phone is answered, and they begin giving yout he prompts: "dial this if you need that" and "press this number for this", say "AGENT" clearly into the phone. It will get you to al ive person faster than continually going throu all of the prompts. You may still have to wait, but your wait shouldn't be near as long.

Good luck with this mess. I am by no means an expert, but feel free to PM me if you need any help. I can do what I can from Indiana and I always enjoy a good challenge! :)

Grace
07-27-2008, 06:45 PM
Here's a site where you can find out how to get a real person without jumping through all those hoops.


http://www.gethuman.com/


I have used it a few times, and found it extremely helpful. Donna's tip for Medicare is exactly what this site says to do.

jazzcat
07-27-2008, 09:05 PM
Oh man, thanks for the warning. That is horrible!!! I'm going to check into Dad's insurance and make sure he didn't get switched.